The Indore district administration has assured 500 slum dwellers facing eviction orders of looking into the matter and resolving it amicably, the officials said on Tuesday.

Residents of Ramabai Nagar stage a protest at district collectorate office in Indore on Tuesday.(Shankar Mourya/HT photo)

The Indore district administration has assured 500 slum dwellers facing eviction orders of looking into the matter and resolving it amicably, the officials said on Tuesday.

The slum dwellers alleged that they had been rehabilitated in Ramabai Nagar under an agreement with the district administration in 1995 and the eviction order only contradicted the district administration’s earlier order.

However, the said order was challenged in a court by a government employees’ co-operative housing society laying claim to the land. On October 26, the court directed the district administration to get the piece of land vacated and submit a compliance report by November 27.

Following the orders, the district and court officials reached Ramabai Nagar, showed residents the order and tried to raze their homes, claiming that the land belonged to the government employees’ co-operative housing society.

However, on Tuesday the slum dwellers protested in front of the district collector P Narahari’s office and presented their point of view. They reportedly conveyed to the collector that they were earlier rehabilitated to the locality from the banks of Kahn River near Krishnapura Bridge and CP Shekhar Nagar by former district collector Manoj Srivastava under an agreement. Narahari listened to their grievances and assured them of a rationale solution to the problem.

Social activists, who are fighting for their rights, said, “According to the agreement between district administration and Indore Development Authority (IDA), 15 % of the area in Scheme no. 140 is allotted to economically weaker sections. As per that agreement these slum dwellers were allotted land here.” Each family was given 15 X 15 feet land to resettle.

Rights activist Madhuri Krishnaswami said, “A case between the district administration and a co-operative society was going on for last 20 years, which had recently been decided in favour of the latter. But during the 20 years, the slum dwellers, who will be the affected, are not made party in the case and were not even informed about the proceedings.” This is completely illegal, she said.

Bharatiya Janata Party corporator from the area Sunita Solanki said, “There are about 175 units in the area, in which about 250 - 300 families are living. They did not have any clue about the court cases, and suddenly following court’s orders, the administrative officials came with the orders to vacate the land. We are going to challenge this before high court.”